M S I N D I N S T U R F Y N O E A F E U R O P National Strategy on Social National Strategy on Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction and Poverty on Social Inclusion Strategy National Inclusion and Poverty Reduction 2015-2020 Romania 2015-2020 Ministry of Labor Family, Social Protection and Elderly Content INTRODUCTION ................................................. 7 1. POOR AND VULNERABLE GROUPS .......................... 21 1.1. People at Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion ................................... 22 1.2. Main Vulnerable Groups ...................................................... 28 2. PEOPLE-BASED POLICIES .................................. 31 2.1. Employment ................................................................. 32 2.2. Social Transfers .............................................................. 38 2.3. Social Services ............................................................... 46 2.4. Education .................................................................... 58 2.5. Health ........................................................................ 61 2.6. Housing ...................................................................... 65 2.7. Social Participation ........................................................... 68 3. AREA-BASED POLICIES ..................................... 73 3.1. Territorial Dimension of Poverty ............................................... 74 3.2. Integrating Marginalized Communities ......................................... 77 4. STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY TO REDUCE POVERTY AND PROMOTE SOCIAL INCLUSION ...... 81 4.1. Enhancing Capacity for Policy Formulation and Management at all Levels ...... 82 4.2. Developing an Integrated Approach in the Field of Social Policy Development ... 86 4.3. Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Systems ................................ 86 4.4. Improving Service Delivery with Information and Communication Technologies .. 87 4.5. Modernizing Payment Systems ................................................ 89 5. FLAGSHIP INITIATIVES PROVISIONED FOR 2015 TO 2017 .......................................... 93 ANNEXES ..................................................... 99 Annex 1: Main Vulnerable Groups in Romania .................................... 100 Annex 2: Assumptions of the Poverty Forecasting Model ........................... 101 References ................................................... 103 Acronyms and Abbreviations AIDS - Acquired immune deficiency syndrome MSII - Minimum Social Insertion Income program ALMP - Active Labor Market Programs MPF - Ministry of Public Finance ANPIS - National Agency for Payments and Social Inspection MTR - Marginal Tax Rate AROP - At risk of Relative Poverty After Receiving Social M/XDR-TB - Multi-drug and extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis Transfers NEA - National Employment Agency AROPE - People at Risk of Poverty and Social Exclusion NEET - Not in employment, education or training CDD - Community Driven Development NEETD - Not in employment, education, training, or disabled CHNs - Community Health Nurses NGO - Non-Governmental Organization DGASPC - County Directorates of Social Assistance and Child Protection NRDP - National Rural Development Program ECEC - Early childhood education and care OECD - Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development ESF - European Social Fund POCU - Operational Program Human Capital Development EU - European Union 2014-2020 EU-SILC - European Union Statistics on Income and Living PPS - Purchasing Power Standard Conditions PROST - Pension Reform Options Simulations Toolkit (WB) FSA - Family Support Allowance RHM - Roma Health Mediator GD - Government Decision ROP - Regional Operational Program GDP - Gross Domestic Product SEN - Special education needs GEO - Government Emergency Ordinance SPAS - Public Social Assistance Services GMI - Guaranteed Minimum Income STS - Special Telecommunications Service GP - General Practitioner WB - World Bank HB - Heating Benefit WHO - World Health Organization HBS - Household Budget Survey HIV - Human immunodeficiency virus infection ICT - Information and Communication Technology IT - Information Technology IVET - Initial Vocational Education and Training LAG - Local Action Groups LEADER - Links Between the Rural Economy and Development Actions Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale LLL - Lifelong learning LWI - Low work intensity MDR-TB - Multidrug resistant cases of tuberculosis M&E - Monitoring and Evaluation MIS - Management information systems MoH - Ministry of Health MLFSPE - Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Protection and Elderly MNE - Ministry of Education and Scientific Research MDRAP - Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration INTRODUCTION 8 | INTRODUCTION The objective of the Government of Romania is that all citizens to be provided with an equal opportunity to participate in society, to feel valued and appreciated, to live in dignity and that their basic needs to be met and their differences respected. In this context, the main results envisaged by the Strategy their own social integration capacities and for being are the social inclusion of vulnerable groups and lifting actively involved in handling difficult situations rests 580,000 people out of poverty or social exclusion by 2020 with every individual as well as with his or her family, compared with 2008, as committed by Romania in order to and public authorities should take action to ensure reach the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy. equal opportunities for all or, in their absence, provide adequate social benefits and services. Romania aims to become a country where: Differences between individuals are respected. All citizens have equal opportunities. • Each individual is unique. Individual differences • Everyone deserves the opportunity to participate can be along the lines of race, gender, ethnicity, fully in the economic, social, political, and cultural socioeconomic status, age, sexual orientation, and life of their society and to enjoy the benefits of beliefs (religious and otherwise) as well as physical, doing so. Equal opportunities mean that individual cognitive, or social abilities. The concept of diversity circumstances beyond their control do not determine goes beyond tolerance; it encompasses acceptance people’s quality of life. and respect. Valuing diversity in a positive and nurturing way increases the chance that everyone The basic needs of every citizen are met. will reach their potential and that communities will • Along with respect for and protection of fundamental pro-actively use this potential. human rights, one of the main preconditions for a decent quality of life is meeting citizens’ basic needs All people feel valued and can live in dignity. for housing, food, sanitation, and security as well as • All human beings are born free and equal in dignity for basic community services such as education, and rights (Article 1 of the UN Declaration of Human healthcare, and social services. These key elements Rights). When a person feels valued and lives in enable people to live in dignity, to have control over dignity, they are more likely to be in control of their their lives, and to actively participate in the life of lives and to participate in and become an active their communities. The responsibility for developing member of society. Introduction | 9 BOX 1 Strategic Actions at the National Level for inclusion as well as the needed policy Reducing Poverty and Promoting Social responses. Inclusion Passing of the Government Decision • no. 1217/2006 that contained a national This document builds on the series of strategic actions mechanism for promoting social inclusion. undertaken in this area for the past 20 years. Among the The same piece of legislation also set up a most important phases achieved so far are as follows: National Social Inclusion Committee within the Interministerial Council for Social Affairs, Setting up in 1998 of a Commission for Health, and Consumer Protection. The National • Prevention and Fight against Poverty under the Commission includes a representative at the patronage of the Romanian presidency. The level of secretary of state or president from Commission drafted and passed a „Strategy for the ministries, authorities, agencies, and other the Prevention of and Fight against Poverty”, governmental institutions with responsibilities in which, although it was not adopted by the the field of social inclusion. It has a consultation government, represented the first strategic role and is managed by the Ministry of Labor, document to lay down the principles of social Family, Social Protection, and Elderly People. policies. This Strategy represents an opportunity to activation of this national mechanism. Setting up of an Anti-Poverty and Promotion • of Social Inclusion Commission (CASPIS), Approval of the Social Assistance Reform which operated between 2001 and 2006. This • Strategy in 2011. A series of key objectives institution together with the County Commissions that have acted as guiding principles for the under its coordination (which were responsible government in the past few years are also for developing and implementing social policies relevant for this Strategy: targeting social benefits at the county level) anticipated Romania’s to low-income people; reducing the costs of participation to the EU’s Open Method of access for the recipients of social benefits; Coordination. In the period of CASPIS operation, reducing system error and fraud;